MATCH REPORT: Morecambe FC

Stoppage time penalty denies County a well-earned point at home to Morecambe...

Youngster's Kieran Parselle and Tom Owen-Evans were recalled to the starting eleven, and the abundance of youth on show for County helped create a series of changes early on.

A testing cross by Seth Nana-Twumasi was met at the far post by Scott Barrow, who headed the delivery back across goal, but the ball didn't drop kindly to Lenell John-Lewis and the visitors were able to clear.

Another opportunity for County followed quickly. Defender Matt Partridge clipped the ball forward to Aaron Collins, in what turned out to be a useful pass. Collins latched onto the the ball and fired a curling shot, that forced the Morecambe 'keeper Barry Roche into making a save to his right.

A settled period of the game followed, with the visitors starting to creep into positions that could cause County problems. County responded by a good display of counter attacking football, with Seth cutting inside from the right before squaring the ball to Mark Byrne, who launched a first time effort at goal that had to be pushed away by Barry Roche.

Morecambe found some success attacking County from the right-wing. Defender Scott Barrow was cautioned after a dubious challenge and the resulting free-kick from the right was headed behind by Aaron Hayden. Jamie Devitt delivered the following corner and former County player Alan Goodall glanced a header into the bottom corner, that squeezed between Joe Day and the near post.

Before the break County had an opportunity to level the game. A marvelous touch by Aaron Collins on the edge of the Morecambe area allowed him to control the ball and play a sublime pass through to the advancing Scott Barrow. The defender continued his run towards goal, but Barry Roche progressed off his line to fence his effort behind for a corner.

In the break the visitors made a double substitution, that involved the introduction of County torment Kevin Ellison.

Neither side created any clear cut changes in the opening period of the second half, until a counter-attack by the visitors allowed the ball to be played across the County area to Ellison, who was allowed time to shape himself for the shot, but Joe Day did well to advance off his line and smother his effort and keep the deficit to just the one goal.

That save by Day inspired County, as the equaliser soon followed. Scott Barrow picked up the ball and advanced into the Morecambe half, before launching a driven effort from thirty yards that flew into into the bottom corner for a superb individual goal.

Into the last ten minutes and it was Newport who looked like the team mostly likely to score a winner. After several neat passes to switch the ball from the left to right, Seth Nana-Twumasi was given space to cut inside and fired an effort that rose rapidly over the crossbar.

Into the four minutes of stoppage time and a long ball played into the County area saw Aaron Hayden collide with County nemesis Kevin Ellison, who went down and the referee awarded the visitors a penalty right at the death.

Paul Mullin stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty home to deny County the point, in the most cruelest of fashions.